University of New Mexico wins 2011 NCEES Engineering Award

NCEES is pleased to announce that the University of New Mexico Department of Civil Engineering is the grand prize winner of the 2011 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met June 7, 2011, in Clemson, S.C., to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the prize for its submission, Integrated Infrastructure Improvements for a Youth Scout Ranch. For the project, teams of civil engineering and construction management students worked with professional engineer mentors to design infrastructure improvements for a youth camp. Each team addressed one of four areas necessary for the camp’s future growth and improved safety: drinking water and fire protection; drainage, erosion control, and emergency road access; wastewater collection and secondary treatment; and structural improvements, including a new pedestrian bridge and trading post.

The jury praised the project for incorporating various subdisciplines of civil engineering as well as construction management and for giving students “practical understanding of the routine work environment of practicing
professional engineers.”

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

• California State University, Los Angeles, Department of Civil Engineering
  Connecting Professional Practice and Education through a Civil Engineering Capstone Project: Mud Flow Barrier
• Lawrence Technological University Department of Civil Engineering
  Civil Engineering Capstone Project and Recovery Park
• Seattle University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Flood Control Channel Design for a River in Northwest Haiti
• Seattle University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Structural Design of Dam Sluice Gate Walkway Slabs: Retrofit and Replacement Options
• University of Texas at El Paso Department of Civil Engineering
  Development of a Sustainable Infrastructure Management System for a City

The NCEES Engineering Award recognizes engineering programs that encourage collaboration between students and licensed professional engineers. EAC/ABET-accredited programs from all engineering disciplines were invited to submit projects that integrate professional practice and education.

The winners were selected by a jury of NCEES members and representatives from academic institutions and professional engineering organizations.

“NCEES is committed to educating the next generation about the importance of technical competency and ethical practice in the engineering profession,” said NCEES President Joseph Timms, P.E. “We hope this award will inspire other colleges to introduce similar collaborative projects that bring professional engineers and students together.”
Read profiles of the winning projects.